Tag: health

Fab Dinner Ideas for Busy People

Leave a comment

Hey there lovely readers!

I hope my fellow Northeast peeps are safe and warm from this past weekends snow storm. Luckily the Bronx did not get too effected. I have definitely dealt with worse in Syracuse. I remember tropping it to class in nearly 5 feet of snow. Now just imagine my 5 foot 2 inch self walking in snow nearly as tall as I am. Crazy right?

As I sit here on this lovely Sunday evening I have become inspired to leave you lovely peeps with some potential dinner recipes for the week! These are super easy and delish. You can whip these up in NO time.

Recipe 1: Veggie Pasta Salad with garlic & olive oil sautéed asparagus and bruschetta.

What you need:
(For Pasta Salad)
1 bag of vegetable pasta (available at Trader Joes), cooked to al dente and cooled. Set aside.
1 cup cooked broccoli (I prefer to sauté with garlic & olive oil until tender but with a nice bite to it)
1 cup sautéed spinach (sauté with broccoli)
1 cup sautéed kale
1 vine ripe tomato, diced (or a handful of baby heirloom tomatoes cut in half)
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (NOT in oil. You can get them in a bag from Trader Joes!)
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of Italian dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

(For sautéed asparagus)
1 bunch of asparagus, stems trimmed
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

(For Bruschetta)
1 French baguette (or ciabatta bread), cut into one inch slices at an angle
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil (plus more to add to drizzle on bread)
2 cloves of garlic (for rubbing on hot bread)
2 large beefsteak tomatoes (I used multiple colors for visual pleasure)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup freshly chopped basil

How to make it:
1. Combine all ingredients for pasta salad. Set in fridge until serving time to allow for flavors to combine. Feel free to use any extra fresh basil as garnish.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet, place slices of baguette. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Put in oven for 8 minutes or until slightly brown. Let cool for a few minutes before rubbing garlic cloves on the bread.

3. Prepare tomato mixture. Combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Toss in basil. Let sit aside until bread has cooled completely. (Note: sometimes I just LOVE adding diced shallot into this. Not very traditional but I love the extra crunch component).

4. Sauté asparagus in a skillet. Sauté until bright green. Do not over cook. The crunch really makes asparagus fab!

Recipe 2: Baked Purple Potatoes with roasted Brussel sprouts and Gardein Vegan Chicken Patties

What you need:
4 purple potatoes (or any other potato you like)
1 bag of Brussel sprouts, halved (the steam in a bag sprouts work great)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
2 tablespoons grade A/B pure maple syrup
1/2 cup slivered chopped almonds
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 bag Gardein zesty marinara vegan chicken cutlets (prepare according to package)
**Tip: prepare vegan chicken in a skillet with two teaspoons of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and any dried herbs for extra flavor and a crunchy exterior**
Vegan butter, sea salt, pepper for flavor

How you make it:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the mean time prep your veggies. Wash the purple potatoes. Drizzle olive oil or rub vegan butter on the potatoes and sprinkle sea salt on the potatoes. Wrap potatoes individually in aluminum foil. Place in oven and cook until you can poke a fork in the potatoes.

2. On a baking sheet, arrange Brussel sprouts and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt. Place in oven when potatoes are half way done (after about 10-15 minutes). After about 5-8 minutes, remove baking sheet, drizzle maple syrup and scatter the cranberries. Cook until golden and slightly tender. NOTE: Do NOT over cook these. That’s what gives the sprouts an awful smell. After about 5-6 more minutes of cooking they should be done but this depends on your oven. Eyeball them.

3.Once golden, let Brussel sprouts cool and toss almonds with the sprouts and cranberries.

4. Prepare Gardein patties according to package instructions and my yummy tip. 😉

Recipe 3: Vegan Taco Tuesday/Thursday/Any ol’ day

What you need:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 cloves of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Cumin, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper to taste
Homemade guacamole (see my recipe here: http://goo.gl/PvxEX)
Your favorite salsa (I love Trader Joes Pico De Gallo)
Spinach, Tomatoes, Jalapeños, Red Onion diced (all your choice)
Whole wheat whole grain tortillas

How you make it:
1. In a sauce pan, over medium heat, sauté leeks with olive oil and garlic. Let leeks become translucent. Once translucent add black beans. Season with cumin, black pepper, sea salt and more garlic (if you’re a garlic lover like I am). Turn heat to low and let cook for 5 more minutes.

2. While beans are cooking, prepare guacamole, chop other veggies for taco assembly and set aside.

3. Warm tortillas in a skillet. Remove warm tortilla and place on plate and begin assembling tacos!

I hope you are inspired to create some delish dinners this week!

Peace, love and no beef!

Guramrit

(P.S. I actually LOVE Brussel sprouts)

Simply Delish Braised Kale

1 Comment

Need a way to get more greens in your diet? Drinking greens in your smoothies not cutting it? Or do you simply crave something comforting that is tasty and good for you too? Look no further, this recipe is sure to please even the person who is not fond of kale. Trust me, this recipe is a winner. You will crave it! I have made it a few times in the last couple of weeks. I just love me some kale (Tuscan organic is my fave)! imageWhat you need: 1 bag Organic Tuscan Kale (pre washed and pre cut) 1 leek, washed thoroughly and diced 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 large vein ripened organic tomato, diced 1/4 cup pine nuts (plus more for garnish) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (organic preferred) Sea salt, black pepper to taste How you make it: 1. In a sauté pan (or any small pan, a skillet can work as well), pan roast the pine nuts over medium heat. Keep your eye on these babies, they can burn easily. Once roasted (slightly golden brown), remove from heat and set aside. image 2. Add olive oil to a wok or sauté pan. Toss in leeks and garlic and cook until translucent and aromatic. Add a pinch or two of sea salt and black pepper. image 3. Add bag of kale. Toss leeks, garlic and kale together. Let wilt. image 4. Turn slowly every few minutes. The kale will get slightly charred and smoky. 5. Toss tomato in. Let burst slightly and season with pepper and salt. image 6. Turn off heat. Let sit a few minutes. Toss in pine nuts and serve immediately. image Enjoy this fab recipe! I’m sure you will love your greens after this dish! Peace, love, kale and no beef! Guramrit

Week One: 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge

Leave a comment

Greetings everyone! I hope all is well and that the new year is treating you right! Like I mentioned a few posts ago, I embarked on a 30 day green smoothie challenge. I started off excited, nervous and mostly nervous. I was afraid. I thought, how in the world can I survive replacing one of my meals with a smoothie? I was convinced I was going to starve.

I must admit the first few days were NO fun. I started my challenge with a smoothie for breakfast. Now, if you don’t know already the time between dinner and breakfast is the longest time you really go without food (hence breaking the fast). Having a smoothie for breakfast made me feel a bit weak at first. I felt hungry again within a few hours. I also realized that I was obsessed with this idea of having a big breakfast. Breakfast is actually one of my favorite meals of the day. I love the infinite possibilities for breakfast food. I think I just made myself hungry.

I have switched up the times of day when I have a smoothie. Some mornings I can tolerate a smoothie for breakfast, as long as I keep my lunch satisfying and nibble on a palm full of almonds or cashews to sustain me. I have had smoothies for lunch and even have had it for dinner. I’m only a week into the challenge and I just CRAVE a smoothie whenever I’m hungry. I have stocked up on frozen organic berries, mangoes, bananas, kale and spinach. I plan on making use of the recipes SimpleGreenSmoothies.com provides each week.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes (tweak them however you like!):

Super Green Berry Machine

What you need:
2 cups raw baby spinach (or kale)
3/4 cup organic orange juice
1 cup frozen organic strawberries/blueberries/mixed berries (whatever you like)
1 banana
1 tablespoon Udo’s oil (a vegan friendly Omega 3/6/9 Oil blend)
1 level scoop of Gary Null’s Green Stuff
1 teaspoon of Organic Bee Pollen/Chia Seeds/Hemp Hearts (whatever you like!)

How you make it:
1. Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a little extra liquid to the smoothie to get a better consistency. Keep your OJ on hand! Organic only please!


Power Protein Smoothie (compliments of Simple Green Smoothies)

What you need:
1 banana
2 cups spinach
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
10 whole almonds
2 cups water (or unsweetened almond milk)
4 tablespoons vanilla flavored protein powder (try: Spirutein)

How you make it:
1. Blend well and enjoy! This smoothie is especially great for breakfast.

I will be posting more smoothie recipes as the challenge continues!

Minus my 2 day encounter with the flu, I have really felt wonderful. The effects of having at least ONE green smoothie a day is incomparable. I have great energy, focus and feel phenomenally slim. I have been off of caffeine for a few weeks and I don’t miss it as much. The smoothies have really curbed the caffeine craving!

Keep on the look out for my updates on the challenge!

Peace, love, and green smoothies (and no beef duh!).

-Guramrit

Finding Solid Ground

Leave a comment

Finding a balance seems to be the challenge at the start of any new year. It seems that the New Year comes with new ideas, goals and sometimes a swarm of things to do. I’m finding myself caught at the fork in the road, where finding a balance meets complete insanity. I have these moments where I feel completely overwhelmed and forget to find my feet and ground myself. My mom always says to me, “Feel your feet. Find your rooting and get solid.” At times I just look at her and think, “do you know how hard that is?”

Finding a strong foundation and maintaining it is such a challenge.  When we are constantly moving about, running from one task to the next, rooting and centering yourself seems to come last on the to-do list. We are only in the second week of the new year and I feel like a chicken without a head. I am adamant about planning, organizing and scheduling, so that I make time for everything that is important. But sometimes my to-do lists and scheduling has me feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed is not a good feeling for me. I start to feel emotionally unstable and all over the place. That’s when I hear my mom say to find my ground, my center and root myself deep to the earth.

Allowing yourself to continuously float without grounding only seems to lead to illness, sickness or unhealthy habits. Before my potential mental breakdown, I am making a conscious effort to care for myself. Yes, the to-do lists must be checked off and the schedule is hard to steer away from. But, finding time for yourself to establish balance is non-negotiable. Say it with me now: self-care is NON-NEGOTIABLE. I am NOT an OPTION. I MUST take care of ME.  You should never be too busy to stop and reassess and get yourself grounded.  Now of course this is MUCH easier said than done. I am making a promise to myself that I will not get to a point of insanity (though, tears and a few nibbles of dark chocolate for comfort are OKAY).

This year, I will find my rooting and become solid.

New Year, New Goals, Fresh Start

Leave a comment

We are just two days away from a new year. 2012 has really been a year of challenges and learning experiences. Each experience has helped me look at my life through a different lens. The overall theme and lesson of 2012: Let GO and Let God. Oh and PATIENCE! Patience is a pain in my tush. I kid you know patience is such a hard thing and letting go is just as difficult. But I am slowly learning that being optimistic and positive about life really allows the good to flow right in.

I have high hopes for 2013. I am positive that this is MY year. Why? Because I am calling upon that amazing law of attraction and attracting nothing but good things into my life. I want to start the year with positive intentions and strong affirmations as well as goals that can really bring me closer to the person I envision myself growing into. Here is my list of goals. These are not in order of importance, rather the order in which they come to me at the moment.

1. Complete the 30 Day Green Smoothie Challenge. I just signed up for this challenge to encourage myself to start off on the right track. Though I eat clean, organic, healthy vegan food 99.9% of the time, I really think this will instill some sort of discipline and keep my energy and spirits lifted during the first month of the year. The challenge requires you replace one or two meals with a green smoothie. I will start off with one meal and see where that goes. My mom says I can’t lose anymore weight without the risk of looking too skinny. I’m doing this for cleansing and detoxification purposes. I will keep you updated on my progress and post recipes!

2. Maintain my physical body and continue to strengthen and tone. I have a pretty solid fitness routine but these last two weeks have made me feel like a blob. Me and cold weather are not friends but I am making it a goal to push myself to be as active as possible. I have my Zumba Exhilarate DVDs and I will be joining Planet Fitness for the sake of motivation (and to drag my brother with me to bond over weight lifting). Oh yes, I will be doing a plank a day challenge. I really need to step my game up.

3. Take time to really stop, breathe, think and then speak. I know it is good to speak your mind but how many times do you think back to what you said and thought: maybe that did not need to be said. I want to be more mindful of my thoughts, actions and the words coming out of my mouth. I want to exude positivity. Sri Sathya Sai Baba said, “Before you speak, think -Is it necessary? Is it true? Is it kind? Will it hurt anyone? Will it improve on the silence?”

4. Continue to find at LEAST one thing to be grateful for everyday.

5. Make more time for loved ones. I try my best but sometimes I get caught up in myself and forget I need them as much as they need me.

6. Cook one new dish a week. I don’t want to get rusty! I need to try new things and share these lovely concoctions with the world.

7. Get my Zumba certification

8. Find an apartment. I am PRAYING I find the right and perfect place to establish myself.

9. Meditate and do yoga more.

10. Find the light, the good and God in everyone and everything no matter how difficult.

11. Dedicate more time and energy to my nutrition education and hopefully let go of my anxiety regarding coaching my clients. I can do this!

These things may change and I will be adding more (def happens along the way) but I hope that I can stick to these goals for 2013.

Peace, love, no beef and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Guramrit

P.S. What are your goals and intentions for the new year?